Texas Releases Man on Death Row

A man who spent nine years behind bars and four on death row was released from prison Wednesday. Manuel Velez was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to execution for the 2005 death of his girlfriend’s infant son, Angel Moreno. The conviction relied heavily on an assertion that a critical head injury to the infant occurred in the two weeks before his death, even though a neuropathologist concluded the injury took place two to six weeks earlier, when Velez was out of state. The ACLU helped overturn his sentence, convincing the judge that Velez’s original pro bono lawyers inadequately defended him. Instead of risking a new trial, Velez pleaded “no contest” to reckless injury of a child and was released thanks to time already served.